Friday, April 9, 2010

Creamy Vegetable and Ham Pasta Recipe

Welcome friends to Natasha in Oz! I am so glad you stopped by to say G'day today.

The school holidays are nearly over and starting next week there will be no more sleeping in and no more late nights! It is sure going to be hard getting back into our normal term-time routines!

To make life a bit easier at meal times next term,I have been trying out some new recipes over the holidays so that I will be armed with some new and interesting meals that don't take long to prepare.

The dish I would love to share with you today was one that everyone in my family really enjoyed and I loved cooking it because it was so quick and quite cheap too.

This rough guide of a recipe serves 4, takes about 5 minutes to prepare and about 10 minutes to cook! If there is one thing that I have learnt over the last few months, it is that it is OK to take foodie shortcuts if they save you time and are still flavorful and healthy.

So here is my Creamy Vegetable and Ham Pasta Recipe.

Creamy vegetable and ham pasta.

All you need is some pasta,

Some ham, (or bacon or prosciutto...whatever you have!),

Chopped green beans, chives and red onion,

About 300g ricotta cheese.

And some baby spinach leaves.

First cook the pasta according to packet directions. Don't forget to add lots of salt to the water!

Can you see why I really wanted to show you this gorgeous Italian Fusilli? It has been naturally coloured with beetroot, basil and curcuma/turmeric.

Isn't it pretty!

Look at the beautiful colours!

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking fry all of the other ingredients except the ricotta in some Olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then add the ricotta and the pasta and season to your liking. Use the left over cooking liquid to moisten and make the sauce.

Serve into your favorite dishes and sprinkle with extra chives and lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Buon appetito!

I had this dish with a glass of my favourite New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and I am looking forward to sharing the rest of the bottle with Mr Attorney tonight! We will be making ham and pineapple pizzas with some of the ham that I had left over from this pasta dish. YUM!

Thanks for coming to spend time with me today. I hope that you, my dear friends, have a relaxing Friday night and a great weekend.

That's probably the most beautiful uncooked pasta I've ever seen. I have a yearning to turn it into necklaces, or a sort of ballgown-skirt/castanet combination. The recipes look delicious too, and wonderfully easy.

That looks delicious! I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes, especially for the hectic evenings after work and school. Although, this would be great to cook on a relaxing weekend, too. Enjoy your evening1

YUM NATASHA!!! Oh why don't you live next door & I could just sit at your counter sipping tea while you cook dinner for your family. I wouldn't even take a bite...I would just smell it & be happy! But the house just sold last week so you are too late :( Rats! Well next time can you make a bigger batch on a windy day & maybe I will just smellit from here...oh man...what a dumb comment :) I need to get off this thing :)

That looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of the riccotta, green beans, and the prosciutto. YUMMY! My kids would eat this up! Thanks for coming by 504 Main earlier in the week...I finally made it here...it has been nutso. I am a new follower.Holly504 Main

Sweet greetings from Frog Hollow Farm! I loved looking at the photos in your blog as I am also a lover of Italian food. I linked over to you from The Duchess of Tea's blog and hope to follow your 5 Minutes Just For Me posts. I realize that I need to take more photos for my blog, especially of all the cooking I do. Still getting the hang of the whole blogging thing. Ciao, bella!

Well we did create kind of the same dish, mine spicy yours more mellow. However you have many lovely pictures of yours...mine...not so many. Lol. I'm in Canada and we used to have chimps in the ads for Red Rose Tea. There are clips of them on the internet I am sure. My favorite was the chimps playing in a band singing about Red Rose Tea.I think I will go see if I can find one for a little flashback.

Hi Natasha,That pasta looks tasty and very pretty too! I host a tea on Tuesdays as well. I would love to have you stop by or even participate if you like. Thank you so much for stopping by today and introducing yourself. It's very nice to 'meet' you. Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello Natasha~I've just strolled in for my first visit...I've enjoyed taking a peek at your past posts. You've got so many wonderful recipes. Your blog is so beautifully inviting.We share similar tastes.This pasta dish is so colorful. It's always a nice surprise to find ingredients that add a little extra touch to the presentation.

As spring approaches I like to apply it's inspirational palette of colors into a few baking/cooking recipes.Don't you love the aroma that fills the air during this season?It's definitely invigorating.I look forward to coming by your charming blog again.Come by for a visit. Your company would be nice.

Oh my goodness, now I am really hungry, the yogurt i just ate will NOT tide me over...your dish is fantabuolous! Sorry about the not real word! LOL If you have a minute stop by http://shabbychictreasures.blogspot.com/I am giving away a pretty rose teapot for April!Hugs,Olivia

"There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound." ~Diana CortesThank you for visiting, dear friend.

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My main blog, www.natashainoz.com is about my life and home in Australia. I share decorating ideas, recipes, styling tips and all things beautiful. I also have an education blog, Educator in Oz, where I share resources, ideas and observations. Please visit soon!

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